(CNN) – Michigan Rep. Pete Hoekstra and former CIA and State Department official Cofer Black will advise former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on intelligence and terrorism issues, his presidential campaign announced Thursday.

Hoekstra, the senior Republican on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will oversee Romney’s Intelligence Policy Advisory Group, while Black will head the governor’s Counter-Terrorism Policy Advisory Group. The formation of these new campaign advisory panels comes the same week that the top commander in Iraq testified before Congress about the situation in the war torn country and several hours before President Bush was set to address the nation on the topic.

“We have made progress in securing our homeland since 9/11, but we still have much work to do,” Romney said in a statement released by the campaign. The former Massachusetts governor also said that “effective intelligence-gathering and counter-terror efforts that can prevent further attacks” are “critical” to the country’s security.

While I don't agree that Romney should drop out of the race I do think he has taken a step toward Giuliani and his fight for being the Terrorism candidate. By nominating Cofer Black, the man famous for capturing Carlos the Jackal and connected to the extraordinary rendition so criticized after 9/11, he has definitely caught up with the former Mayor of New York. However, after the scripted presidency of President Bush the person who wants to win the office in '08 needs to get away from the carefully controlled situations and talk to the people.